Terminal connector



July 21, 19 4 E. B. RAYMOND TERMINAL CONNECTOR Filed March 19. 1962 INVENTOR. Been/E Eff/AMA) BY M 1715 ATfflE/VE/.

United States Patent 3,141,724 TERMINAL CONNECTOR Eugene B. Raymond, 4041 W. Grove, Slrokie, Ill. Filed Mar. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 180,753 2 (Claims. (Cl. 339-256) My invention relates to new and useful improvements in a terminal connector.

While my invention is capable of numerous applications it is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter described as being designed and constructed for connecting a terminal wire of an ignition system of an automobile to a spark plug.

It is essentially necessary for eflicient performance of a terminal connector of the character hereinafter described that it be of such construction as will always maintain under all conditions a positive contact with the electrode of the spark plug. In the case of a loose connection there may result a welding or pitting between the surfaces of the connector and the spark plug or electrode. This condition will obviously result in damage to the ignition system by overheating and loss or failure of power.

Such loose condition may result from over-expansion of the connector caused by forcefully placing the connector on the electrode or from its frequent removal from such electrode in which case the sleeve becomes deformed and unfit for its intended purpose.

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to overcome these known defects in connectors which are now commercially in use and to provide a connector which will maintain a positive physical contact with the electrode.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction, and in which:

FIG. 1 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of a terminal wire and a spark plug showing my improved connector associated therewith;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top plan view of a blank from which the connector is formed;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional detailed view of the connector;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detailed view taken substantially on line 44 of FIG. 3, and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the connector.

This application constitutes a continuation in part of my application filed January 30, 1961, Serial No. 85,813, for Letters Patent on a Flexible Wire Terminal which application is now abandoned.

In the drawings of this application the terminal wire is indicated at 10, the connector at 11, the spark plug at 12 and the electrode, of the spark plug 12, at 13.

As in the case of my co-pending application above referred to, the connector is formed from a blank 14 of conductive material. The blank 14 is rolled to provide at opposite ends sleeves 15 and 16. The sleeve 15 receives the end portion 17 of the terminal wire 10. In the end portion 15' of the blank 14 which forms the sleeve 15 there is struck a prong 18 which penetrates the insulation of the wire 10 and engages the conductor wire 19 covered by such insulation.

The end portion 20 of the blank which forms the sleeve 16 is provided with inwardly protruding flats 21, which contact the electrode 13 as shown in FIG. 1. The sleeves and 16 when formed by rolling of the blank 14 are substantially tubular in cross section. The sleeve 16 fits over the electrode 13.

3,141,724 Patented July 21, 1964 On one edge portion 22 of the blank 14 there is formed a lateral projection 23 slotted as at 24. On an edge 25 of the blank 14 opposite the edge 22 is a finger 26. When the sleeve 16 is in the form shown in particularly FIGS. 4 and 5, the finger 26 will be disposed in the slot 24 of the lateral projection 23. This is accomplished in the following manner: When the blank 14 is rolled to provide the sleeves 16 and 17, the projection 23 overlaps the edge portion 22 of the sleeve 16 (FIG. 5). The finger 26 extends outwardly and laterally from the sleeve 16 a sufiicient distance so that when the projection is in overlapping relation with respect to the edge portion 22 the finger will project into the slot of the projection, thus to latch the edge portions of the sleeve 16 together. To accomplish such latching, it will be apparent that there is required no bending of the finger 26 with respect to the projection 23, which bending would otherwise weaken the integral connection between the finger 26 and the sleeve. As shown particularly in FIGS. 4 and 5 there is a slight space 27 between the lateral projection 23 and the finger 26. Such space is provided to permit a slight expansion of the sleeve 16 when it is placed over the end portion of the electrode 13 in the position shown in FIG. 2.

As the expansion of the sleeve is thus limited it is clearly manifest that there will always be a positive contact between the sleeve 16 and the electrode 13. Such arrangement results in the sleeve firmly embracing the electrode 13 thereby eliminating arcing or pitting which, if permitted, would seriously interfere with the flow of current through the terminal wire 10.

While material from which the blank 14 is formed is substantially semi-rigid, the sleeve 16 may be expanded sufiiciently to permit the finger to enter the slot 24 to provide a connection between the abutting long edge portions of the sleeve allowing only a limited expansion for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

The sleeves 15 and 16 are connected together by a medial portion 27' which is substantially semi-circular in cross section and provided with circumferentially extending corrugations 28 spaced from each other in the direction of the medial portion 27'. Such corrugations permit bending the connector so as to position the sleeve 15 in various angular positions with respect to sleeve 16 for the reason stated in my aforesaid pending application.

From the foregoing it is manifest that I provide a terminal connector capable of accomplishing the several objects of this invention and one which can be manufactured at an economical cost.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into elfect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. 1, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variation and modification as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A terminal connector for an electrode of a sparkplug comprising (a) a substantially semi-rigid elongated sleeve split longitudinally on one side thereof to provide opposite long edge portions, said sleeve adapted to embrace and have physical contact with an end portion of said electrode,

(b) a projection integrally formed on one of said long edge portions and extending circumferentially with respect to said sleeve in overlapping relation with respect to the outer surface of the other long edge portion,

(c) said projection provided with an elongated slot,

(d) and an elongated latch finger integrally formed on said other long edge portion and bent outwardly of the sleeve and substantially at right angles with respect to said other long edge portion, to project lateraly from said sleeve into and through said slot when said projection is disposed in said overlapping relation with respect to said outer surface of the other long edge portion to latch the long edge portions of the sleeve together, said slot being of a Width greater than the thickness of said finger and so positioned as to allow circumferential expansion of said sleeve when the latter is pressed to embrace said portion of said electrode.

2. A terminal connector comprising (a) integrally connected substantially semi-rigid longitudinally split elongated sleeves one of which has connection with a terminal Wire and the other adapted to embrace and havephysical contact with an end portion of an electrode of a sparkplug,

(b) a projection formed on one of the long edges of said other sleeve and extending laterally from said long edge and circumferentially with respect to said other sleeve and adapted to overlap upon the outer surface of the other long edge portion of the other said sleeve,

(c) said projection provided with an elongated slot,

(d) and an elongated finger formed on the other long edge of the other said sleeve and bent at an angle with respect to said other long edge to extend in a direction laterally from the side of said other sleeve,

(e) said finger adapted to project into and through said slot when said projection is positioned in said overlapping relation with respect to said outer surface of the other long edge of the said other sleeve to latch the longe edge portions of said other sleeve together, I

(1) said slot being of a width greater than the thickness of said finger so as to permit circumferential expansion of said other sleeve when the latter is mounted on the end portion of said electrode,

(g) and a bendable web section integrally connecting said sleeves together in spaced relation with respect to each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 607,620 Kemp July 19, 1898 973,656 Hess Oct. 25, 1910 1,514,928 Rabezzana Nov. 11, 1924 1,566,465 Champion Dec. 22, 1925 1,603,679 Gagnon Oct. 19, 1926 1,672,201 Champion June 5, 1928 1,762,848 Whisler June 10, 1930 1,989,893 Taylor Feb. 5, 1935 2,190,162 Oldharn Feb. 13, 1940 2,430,543 Tinnerman Nov. 11, 1947 2,499,296 Buchanan Feb. 28, 1950 2,553,083 Elliott May 15, 1951 2,648,827 Knollman Aug. 11, 1953 2,665,673 Woofter Jan. 12, 1954 2,699,535 Flora Jan. 11, 1955 2,724,813 Leland Nov. 22, 1955 3,027,128 Liberty Mar. 27, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,193,096 France Apr. 27, 1959 

1. A TERMINAL CONNECTOR FOR AN ELECTRODE OF A SPARKPLUG COMPRISING (A) A SUBSTANTIALLY SEMI-RIGID ELONGATED SLEEVE SPLIT LONGITUDINALLY ON ONE SIDE THEREOF TO PROVIDE OPPOSITE LONG EDGE PORTIONS, SAID SLEEVE ADAPTED TO EMBRACE AND HAVE PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH AN END PORTION OF SAID ELECTRODE, (B) A PROJECTION INTEGRALLY FORMED ON ONE OF SAID LONG EDGE PORTIONS AND EXTENDING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID SLEEVE IN OVERLAPPING RELATION WITH RESPECT TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE OTHER LONG EDGE PORTION, (C) SAID PROJECTION PROVIDED WITH AN ELONGATED SLOT, (D) AND AN ELONGATED LATCH FINGER INTEGRALLY FORMED ON SAID OTHER LONG EDGE PORTION AND BENT OUTWARDLY OF THE SLEEVE AND SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES WITH RESPECT TO SAID OTHER LONG EDGE PORTION, TO PROJECT LATERALLY FROM SAID SLEEVE INTO AND THROUGH SAID SLOT WHEN SAID PROJECTION IS DISPOSED IN SAID OVERLAPPING RELATION WITH RESPECT TO SAID OUTER SURFACE OF THE OTHER LONG EDGE PORTION TO LATCH THE LONG EDGE PORTIONS OF THE SLEEVE TOGETHER, SAID SLOT BEING OF A WIDTH GREATER THAN THE THICKNESS OF SAID FINGER AND SO POSITIONED AS TO ALLOW CIRCUMFERENTIAL EXPANSION OF SAID SLEEVE WHEN THE LATTER IS PRESSED TO EMBRACE SAID PORTION OF SAID ELECTRODE. 